Coordinating kindness

The current lockdown and pandemic has clearly taken its toll on people’s mental health. The isolation from peers and constant anxiety is exacerbating the conditions already caused by economic inequality. One of the ways we can improve the mental health of ourselves and others is through acts of kindness. This Mental Health Awareness Week Estelle, a recovery worker from Newbury supported housing service, tells us about the service and her community’s acts of kindness.

Since the coronavirus outbreak we have worked with the Newbury Furniture Project who’ve received food donations from local catering companies.

The project is delivering food parcels to the vulnerable, needy families around Newbury and West Berks on its own. Our service already had a good relationship with the project and we had a conversation with them about whether they would be happy for us to collect food direct from them to deliver to our service users. Our most vulnerable, self shielding and low income families received a parcel and it reduced the amount of deliveries the project staff would need to do.

“Making food for the other tenants gave me a sense of purpose”

One of the people we support used the donation to cook some meals for the other 3 tenants in her block of flats. The tenant said “Making food for the other tenants gave me a sense of purpose and helps us maintain a sense of community even with social distancing.”

Our service users have been extremely grateful when they receive a parcel saving them from going out and putting themselves at risk. We have also had a service user whose oven broke. We contacted the furniture project and within days she received a new one. Its been great working along side the project at this time and hope our relationship with them will continue in the future.